What is it that hardens a person’s heart? The Pharisees thought they were better than everyone else. What could you accuse a pharisee of? They would fast twice a week. They always read from the Old Testament. They prayed regularly. They were highly esteemed by the people around them, but Jesus accused them of being hard-hearted.
Mark 3:3-6
Another time Jesus went into the synagogue, and a man with a shriveled hand was there. 2 Some of them were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched him closely to see if he would heal him on the Sabbath. 3 Jesus said to the man with the shriveled hand, “Stand up in front of everyone.” 4 Then Jesus asked them, “Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?” But they remained silent. 5 He looked around at them in anger and, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts, said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was completely restored. 6 Then the Pharisees went out and began to plot with the Herodians how they might kill Jesus.
The Pharisees acted so right about everything on the outside, but inside where it counts, their hearts were full of anger, self-righteousness, and death. Jesus doesn’t wink at the hypocrisy of the Pharisees. He calls it out as wickedness.
What do these religious leaders do when Jesus heals a mans shriveled hand? Do they humble themselves before the Messiah? No, they devise a plan to kill Jesus because He healed on the Sabbath. They were focused on the letter of the law and not the spirit of the law.
From the outside the Pharisees looked holy and righteous. But there was a special name that Jesus would call them, over and over.
Matthew 23:25a
Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites!
Where do you struggle with having a hard, hypocritical heart? What is the Holy Spirit saying to you about these scriptures?